Logan Osborne Wins 2013 City Tournament

Heading into the final round of the 2013 Evansville Courier & Press Men’s City Tournament at Evansville Country Club, the spotlight was on the final pairing that featured 3-round leader and past champion David Mills, 10-time champion Kevin Wassmer and Keegan Vea.

Unbeknownst to the gallery, something special was happening just one group ahead. Logan Osborne, a redshirt junior at USI, was silently moving up the leader board.

Osborne began final round play 4 strokes back of the lead, 3-under for the tournament. David Mills started the day with three straight bogies, opening the door for Kevin Wassmer to take the early lead. With a birdie on the par-3 3rd, Osborne moved within one shot at -4.

Wassmer extended his lead to two strokes with a birdie at number 4. He then dropped a shot with a bogey on the par-3 6th to move to 5-under, still one shot up of Osborne and Mills. Those scores stayed until Mills, Wassmer and Osborne, all three birdied the par-5 10th. Mills knocked his tee-shot on the par-3 11th within two feet and tapped in for birdie and a share of the lead with Wassmer. Osborne made a nice up-and-down on 13 to join them at -6.

Mills then had consecutive bogies at 14, 15 & 16 opening the door for Wassmer and Osborne to make a move. Osborne struck first with a two put birdie on the par-5 17th to go to 7-under. Wassmer followed up with a bogie at the par-3 16th to give Osborne the two shot lead heading into his last hole. On 18, Osborne drilled his drive down the fairway, then knocked his approach on the front-left of the green. He came within a couple of inches of sinking his 40 ft. birdie put and left himself a tap-in for par, he was in the clubhouse at -7.

Shortly after Osborne completed his round, you could hear the cheers coming from 17 as Wassmer birdied, moving to -6 and setting up a dramatic finish. On 18, Wassmer laced his drive about 25 yards short of the green side bunker on the 352 yard par-4. His approach came in right at the pin, and skipped by coming to rest against the rough just off the green. Wassmer said, “I thought I hit it where I needed, but it skidded instead of stopping and rolled through the green.” This left him a downhill putt for birdie to force a playoff. That putt went left of the hole and he would end up settling for bogie. Mills ended his round well, posting birdie on the last two holes to tie Wassmer at 279.

Tournament director, Bob Walther, stated it best, Logan Osborne flew under the radar most of the day to capture the 2013 City Championship.

During his speech at the Champion’s Dinner Sunday evening at Rolling Hills Country Club, Osborne said he learned a lot from his Saturday pairing with Mills & Wassmer. “I was able to watch them and see how they managed the course (Rolling Hills) and grind it out when they didn’t hit the ball well. I think it helped me playing in the group in front of them today. I had nothing to worry about, I just went out and played a good round of golf.”

A “good round of golf” is an understatement, he shot a bogey free, 4-under 67, to post low score of the day, completing a magnificent comeback to capture his first City Championship. Osborne is the first lefty to win The City, since the tournament’s founder, Dan Scism, won his last title in 1944.